Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownies

I’m not really a fan of desserts, but if it’s something involving chocolate, you definitely caught my attention. As for these delicious treats – name one person who doesn’t love brownies! I think they’re my favorite dessert also, so I definitely had to find an option to include them in my healthy diet without worrying about the sugar or white flour load. I’m not a specialist in desserts, so I did a little research to find a recipe that fits my needs – gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan. That’s how I came across Deliciously Ella’s recipe of sweet potato brownies, which I think is the perfect healthy version of the classic brownies.

If you are wondering what a veggie like the sweet potato has to do with a dessert, well you would be surprised. Not only does it add sweetness and glorious orange color to the mixture, but it perfectly substitutes eggs, banana or flax, bringing the batter together. It also load the brownies with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, nourishing with high amounts of vitamin A (one cooked sweet potato contains twice the daily recommended intake of vitamin A), vitamin B6, potassium and fiber.

Given the fiber intake, these brownies keep you full for a long time and help maintain a healthy digestion. Studies show that steaming or boiling is the best way to preserve the nutritional properties of sweet potatoes, while combining them with healthy fats increases the uptake of their powerful antioxidants. This is why I decided to add a bit of virgin coconut oil to the brownie batter.

Don’t expect the same taste, texture or sweetness that normal brownies have. This is their healthy version, and it’s absolutely normal to have a slightly different taste, but if you are used to sugar replacements such as dates and with the nutty flavor of the buckwheat flour, you will love these sweet potato brownies. The texture is gooey and moist, just like a brownie should be.

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownie

Vegan, gluten and sugar free, with moist texture and chocolaty taste, these sweet potato brownies are the perfect healthy version of the original dessert. Packed with antioxidants and vitamins from the sweet potato. Delicious!

Prep Time30mins

Cook Time25mins

Total Time55mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegan

Servings: 6

Author: The Awesome Green

Ingredients

2medium sweet potatoesorange flesh

1cupalmond meal

1/2cupbuckwheat flour

1tbspvirgin coconut oil

2tbspraw cacao powder

3/4cupsugar-free vegan chocolate

2cupsdry pitted datessoaked overnight

1tspbaking powder

2tbspvegan milk of choice

1/2tsppink Himalayan salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F.

Peel the sweet potatoes, cut in cubes, place in a pan with enough water to cover them, bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Drain well and set aside to cool.

Add the sweet potatoes, soaked dates and coconut oil in the food processor, and mix to obtain a puree.

Notes

Related posts

Related Posts

14 Comments

Amanda
October 21, 2014

These look DELISH! But I have a few questions… 1) By “sugar-free chocolate” do you mean a 100% chocolate bar? 2) Is almond meal just pulsed almonds? 3) Are these 500 calories each (3,000 for the whole recipe)? Looking forward to baking these soon! Thanks for the recipe (and beautiful photos!).

I used almond meal, if you can’t find it you can use pulsed almonds but I think the result will be quite chunky. Better substitute it with another GF flour (coconut, gram) or buckwheat flour only. Sugar-free chocolate is easy to find at the sugar-free diet section in the supermarkets – 100% chocolate bar is also fine. And yes, is 500 calories/serving (2-3 pieces) but the taste worth each of these 🙂

Elle, you can replace dates with raisins or dried apricots. Dried figs or plums are also an option to get the same consistency. I hope this helps and enables you to make this delicious recipe – you will love it!